Tutti fior

It just looks gorgeous at the moment and every day something new comes out.............first California poppy today, godetias, Shirley poppies, antirhino nearly there, lemon balm, roses still going strong..........crocosmias "Lucifer" absolutely blazing away...............lilies and phlox........

Day lilies

Think the double one might have come from Mum's and be called "Flore Pleno"............the gorgeous red one is called "Crimson Pirate" and I got it at the farmers' market (I was supposed to be buying a chicken but you know how it is..........)

The smelly corner

Just lovely, with honeysuckle, jasmine "Clotted Cream", and lavender...........only problem is they don't leave much room to actually sit in, but wotthehell...........

Morning Glory mystery

These are a new variety tried this year "Hazelwood Blues" which I think us very beautiful. However something most odd has happened in the other pot............what I thought I'd planted was the usual "Heavenly Blue", but that doesn't appear to be what's come up. Something still lovely but much darker, almost purple. Wot dat? Doesn't really matter I suppose but just gives the lie to any lingering notion that we are in charge of this garden in any way..............
Even better, the Tree in the Wall down in the corner beside the chair has turned out to be a cherry. An edible cherry. With cherries on it. They are absolutely delicious..........but where the hell did that come from? Like the paeonies and rose at the front, it gets no sun and appears to be growing on absolutely nothing, and yet it's fruiting.................our fruit has been amazing this year, we have raspberries, blackcurrants, whitecurrants, strawberries, gooseberries, rhubarb, with apples and blueberries to come..............yum. Veg a bit more variable but we have huge cabbage as usual and courgettes now ripening, runner beans flowering, globe artichokes, lettuce and chard, potatoes, tomatoes and, very exciting, tiny cucumbers in the greenhouse!.................

Frog worship

No, not praying to Mecca.................photographing the frogs. Today's exciting news is that we have tadpoles with legs! as well as at least 8 adult frogs, going to get a bit crowded in there soon..........

Paeony surprise

The pink one in the front garden..........this is its first flower in 13 years. I know paeonies can sulk but that's one hell of a huff......worth the wait though because it's very beautiful and also matches the roses........the rose starts off orange and then goes pink, is flowering really prolifically this year and looking very lovely. paeonies in the back also lovely, fine display from the purple clematis and the red lily also out.............

And from the front garden.......................

I think this is the first time this wild rose has ever flowered..........the pink phlox with variegated leaves is very pretty, so is the veronica, also flowering well this year, and the rock rose...........

Chive flowers; gladiolus byzantinus; Oriental poppies: delphinium

The Rescue Rose

Yellow rose today and yesterday........................just with a little bit of sun and water.........

They're back!................

...........or rather, probably, they've never been away. We heaved a huge amount of vegetation out of the pond which had formed itself into a sort of floating island, and discovered that at least four big frogs plus some tadpoles were still in residence............have constructed a Kitski-proof barrier (we hope) cos the frogs are still a bit dim when it comes to self-preservation and they will keep getting out of the pond which is not a good idea.............

The Time of Year

There is a conversation that takes place round about now, it goes like this:
Me: The (name of flower) is very late this year
Carrie: You said that last year
OK so I thought the day lilies should at least be putting up some flower spikes by now but I could be wrong.............the Oriental poppies are *definitely* late, so there...........and the honeysuckle at the front too. Tomatoes are now in their gro-bags in the greenhouse, all the lily-of-the-valley variety seeds from last year came up, I thought they were probably too old but obviously not, so they're in too, and the chilli peppers, cucumbers in the other one............gave the Rescue Rose and clematis a crew-cut to let in more light...........potatoes into the Chinese pot and climbing beans into the barrel..........we are going to have tons of raspberries again, and the wee apples trees already have lots of tiny fruits............

Helga in bloom!

One perfect rose.....................

Why is it no one ever sent me yet
One perfect limousine, do you suppose?
Ah no, it's always just my luck to get
One perfect rose.
(Dorothy Parker)

........actually I'd much rather have this beautiful rose, the limo wouldn't fit in our driveway...........

Pride and Joy

Don't think this variegated pond iris has ever flowered before. God knows why it's decided to flower now but it's obviously a good year for irises, since - even more exciting - down behind the paeonies, Helga is about to flower. Looks like she's going to be purple. We have no idea where Helga came from, she may be a rescue from Hopetoun, in which case if she behaves like the Rescue Rose she'll just get bigger and bigger and take over............
Because of the funny weather things have been very late, so the first oriental poppy has only just come out and the rest have yet to appear. Organic rose also only just out. The lilac has been gorgeous and lasted for ages.............so lovely to go out in the garden and be greeted by great wafts of perfume. Basils very slow in the greenhouse but at last beginning to appear...........wallflowers have also lasted for ages and only starting to fade now. Delphinium about to flower............morning glories a bit slow too since, same as last year, as soon as we put them outside it got cold. Windowsill herbs are happy..........tomato plants still small but have benefited from yesterday's rain. *All* the chili pepper seeds came up so we have loads of plants, some may have to go to the church summer fair................ Veg are in, and we're eating PSB and leaf beet.........the salads are slow but on the way..........

Hip hip hooray

Yes we have frogspawn again. Photos to be added.. but I have to work out how we can keep the froglets safe from our cross eyed mighty hunter who likes to stick her great big clawed paw down on top of them.

Chionodoxa "Glory of the Snow"

Katisha helping to prune the catmint

well it is a mess but that's the point of doing the tidying I guess......................

Hyacinth "Delft Blue"

spring tulips

Here's a pretty mess

It's been a long cold lonely winter................................but it seems that the spring is here at last. It's been far too cold to do any work in the garden at all, until now..........but everything has suddenly burst into life so it's time for the post-winter tidy, and to see what has survived. A few pots have cracked..................the cuttings in the greenhouse died.............and it looks as though the prostrate rosemary may not have made it................but remarkably most other things seem OK and are beginning to resurface. The spring bulbs are as usual looking extremely pretty.......................I've moved the Braeburn apple out of its pot and into the ground, and split the mystery day lily. The cold frame has gone to a good home via Frecycle, Carrie has cleaned out the greenhouse (aka winter cat toilet...........), and I have harvested last year's crop of tiny carrots. Veg seeds are on order......................houseplants have had a titivate and a few gone to the compost to be recycled into next year's veg. We have rosary vines like other people have mice, I took loads of cuttings for the OSP sale, not expecting them to take, but they all did so I have lots of extra peace lilies and Christmas cacti..................I'm going to try some tomatoes indoors this year, they did so badly last year both inside and outside because there wasn't enough sun to ripen them. I wonder if the morning glory will come back......................it had loads of seeds so I've just buried them all and watered it and we'll see if anything happens.................

winter-hardy vegetable....................

Hebe

frozen in thyme..................